Can a nature-defying bridge across the Strait of Messina solve one of Italy's oldest, most basic and seemingly intractable problems: The stagnation and poverty of its southern regions? The divide between wealthy northern Italy and the poorest lands south of Rome – collectively known as the Mezzogiorno – has been the subject of debate ever since Italy was unified in the 1860s.

It's even a branch of study known as “the Southern Question.”Instead of narrowing, the gap continues to grow and a sense of endless frustration and futility hangs over places like Messina, an ancient port city that gives the strait its name.